Easy Sous Vide Duck Breast

Sous Vide Duck

Cooking duck sous vide is amazing! What is great about it is helps to break down the fat, and cook the duck meat in a way that keeps it tender, locks in the moisture, and cooks to perfection every time.

If you are new to cooking sous vide then please read through our easy step-by-step method below or watch the video to see it live.

What is Sous Vide Cooking

Sous vide (pronounced souv-eed) in French means under-vacuum. It is a cooking technique where airtight food (protein, vegetables, etc) is cooked in a water bath and consistent temperature control. When a dish is cooked at a consistent temperature, and to a set temperature or time, perfect consistent results should happen every time.

Sous vide is growing in popularity with the rise and RISE of sous vide cooker machines available on the market.

Personally, I love using this cooking method so expect to see more sous vide recipes coming up.

Related Recipes: Sous Vide Wagyu Steak / Sous Vide Carrots and Hot Honey

Why we Love this Recipe

Easy – cooking sous vide duck breasts is pretty simple.

Consistent cooking results – cooking when temperature controlled means no wastage with overcooking.

Make ahead – I love that I can cook the duck ahead of time, chill quickly, and pan-fry and crisp up the skin when I am ready. A win in my books for sure!

Duck Breast – I use Luv-A-Duck duck breasts. Fresh duck breast is best. You can use wild duck or farmed. If you are going to sous vide whole duck, I recommend inserting a probe into the thickest part of the duck and sous vide and cook until a minimum of 54°C is reached before removing and browning the skin.

The sous vide temperature and timing are set for medium rare sous vide duck breast recipe which means that you cannot swap duck for chicken. Chicken breast is cooked at a higher temperature and varying temperatures according to size.

I have used fresh ginger and thyme in this recipe. You can add any aromats, or herbs you love. A duck marinade can be used. Try one of our sauces or marinades from our Asian duck breast recipes like Easy Duck Stir Fry or Chinese Cabbage Salad with Duck. Another classic duck hero is orange or star anise.

Step 1. Score the duck skin and fat with a sharp knife at 1 cm (1/2 )inch intervals, careful not to cut into the breast meat. Season liberally with salt flakes.

Step 2. Place breasts into a cold cast iron pan over high heat. (Yes, it goes into the pan cold to begin with). Once the duck starts to sizzle, sear for 2-3 minutes. This is the pre-sear step to help render some of the duck fat. Transfer to a plate and chill for 30 minutes uncovered skin side up.

Step 3. Place the duck into a sous vide bag. Add duck fat, ginger, and thyme. Seal and chill until needed. Preheat sous vide bath to 57°C / 135°F. Place into the bath and cook 1 hr 45 min -2 hours (rare to medium rare).

Step 4. Heat a cast iron pan or skillet over high heat. Sprinkle liberally with salt. Remove duck breasts from the bag. Pat dry with paper towels. Drain the oil into a small bowl. Set aside to cool and keep for another use.

Step 6. Place a cast iron pan or skillet over high heat. Sprinkle the pan liberally with salt. When the pan is super-hot, pan-sear the duck until golden brown and the fat has rendered, about 2-3 minutes. (You can turn the duck and sear the meat-side for 1 minute if you like. Use a meat probe to check the internal temperature to your liking, see notes. Set aside to rest for 5 minutes before slicing).